The present invention relates to farrowing crates, which are the accepted method for preventing sows from laying on their baby pigs during and after farrowing. It is well known that a farrowing crate should be adjustable in width and height in order to accommodate various size sows.
For accommodating increasingly larger sows, it has been found to be sufficient if the lower section is adjustable be made wider while keeping the top narrower. This type of adjustment allows the larger sows more room to lay down while still retaining them from excessive turning or lateral movement when in the standing position.
Many methods are currently applied for accomplishing the adjustment of farrowing crates. For example, there are systems which include a plurality of adjustment positions for both the top and bottom of a farrowing crate side wall. However, most of these existing arrangements require the use of tools to tighten and untighten threaded members or the like. Those few systems which are designed to accommodate adjustment of the side walls of the farrowing crate without the use of tools require cumbersome adjustment procedures and most all systems make it quite difficult if not impossible to adjust the crate while a sow is in the crate.
The present invention contemplates a novel farrowing crate which overcomes the above discussed disadvantages of the existing systems and provides for an economical adjusting system which can be used in a simple manner by a single person with or without a sow in the crate. According to the invention, a farrowing crate adjustment system is provided which accommodates adjusting movement of the lower parts of the side walls out and up in a stair-step fashion in desired predetermined increments. According to an important feature of the invention, the stair-step adjusting structure is constructed so as to continuously provide an inwardly facing abutment structure for the lower side of the side wall during the adjustment process so that, even if a sow is in the crate, she cannot prevent or disrupt the adjustment process by pushing outwardly, since such would merely push the bottom part of the side wall against the adjustment apparatus structure. According to another feature of the invention, the bottom parts of the crate side walls are provided with pins which drop into holes in the steps of the adjustment system to maintain the side wall bottom in respective adjusted positions. According to preferred embodiments of the invention, the pin members are rigidly connected to bottom tubular members of the side walls, whereby a single operator can lift the respective side walls between the adjustment positions and at the same time insert both pins at the respective opposite ends of the side wall into corresponding apertures in a stepped bracket, without the need for additional assistance.
According to the preferred embodiments of the invention, the top section of each side wall is arranged to fit into vertically stacked spaced holding sockets. These holding sockets also exhibit lateral support to prevent lateral outward movement of the side walls during the adjustment process. According to preferred embodiments of the invention, the side walls are locked into an adjusted position by latch pins insertable through apertures in upper tubular members of the side walls and through aligned apertures in the vertically stacked series of holding sockets.
According to particularly preferred embodiments of the invention, the stair-step adjustment for the lower portion is provided by stepped brackets attached, one each, to the ends of the farrowing crate at each side (four total stepped brackets), which stepped brackets include end walls for also preventing axial movement of the side walls in a longitudinal direction of the farrowing crate during the adjustment process.
The apparatus of the present invention has all the desired effects regarding adjustment possibilities for accommodating various size sows, and also accommodates adjustment by a single person, without the use of tools, with or without the sow in position in the farrowing crate.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a single embodiment in accordance with the present invention.